Nick Boyd scored 29 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range, John Blackwell poured in 24, and unranked Wisconsin demolished AP No. 10 Michigan State 92-71 Friday night at the Kohl Center in what became the largest margin of victory over an AP top-10 opponent in program history.
The Badgers led for 39 minutes and 18 seconds of game time, built a 51-34 halftime cushion, and stretched the advantage to as many as 24 in the second half before the students stormed the court.
Nick Boyd and John Blackwell Lead the Country’s Most Dangerous Unranked Backcourt
Boyd set the tone early, scoring 20 of his 29 points in the first half while Wisconsin buried its first five three-point attempts. The graduate transfer from San Diego State, who previously played four seasons at Florida Atlantic, has now scored 20 or more in six consecutive games, the first Badger to accomplish that since Alando Tucker rattled off seven straight during the 2006-07 season.
Boyd didn’t just shoot the Spartans out of the building. He ran the offense, finishing with four assists, and his crossover on Michigan State freshman Jordan Scott that freed him for a transition three had the Kohl Center at a decibel level that felt more like March than mid-February.
Blackwell took over in the second half, scoring 19 of his 24 after the break and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. He attacked downhill against a Spartans defense that couldn’t simultaneously account for Boyd’s shooting gravity and Blackwell’s ability to get to the rim. Wisconsin is now 8-0 when both guards eclipse 20 points in the same game, a record-setting duo in terms of combined 20-point performances in a single season at Wisconsin.
Nolan Winter quietly added 10 points and 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. Winter’s work on the glass was critical. Michigan State entered Friday second in the nation in rebounding margin, but Wisconsin fought them to an even 38-38 draw on the boards.
The Spartans grabbed 14 offensive rebounds but converted just eight second-chance points. The Badgers hauled in 11 offensive boards and turned them into 19 second-chance points, making the most of their extra possessions.
Greg Gard’s defensive game plan suffocated Michigan State’s two most important offensive players. Jeremy Fears Jr., averaging over 15 points and nine assists per game, needed 12 shots to score 14 points.
Jaxon Kohler, a double-double machine all season, had as many turnovers as field goals with two apiece. Wisconsin held the Spartans to 31% shooting in the first half, and the 15-0 run that blew the game open was as much about defensive intensity as anything happening on the other end.
The 15 three-pointers Wisconsin knocked down marked the third time this season the Badgers have hit 15 or more from deep against an AP top-10 opponent. Before this season, only three programs in the sport had managed that many total since 2004-05.
Three Top-10 Wins Make Wisconsin the Team Nobody Wants to See in March
Wisconsin’s three top-10 victories are the most by any team in the country this season. A 91-88 win at No. 2 Michigan on January 10. A 92-90 overtime thriller at No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday.
And now this, a 21-point demolition of No. 10 Michigan State on national television. The consecutive top-10 wins are the first back-to-back victories over top-10 opponents for the program since the 1951-52 season. Gard’s 18th top-10 win ties the most in school history.
Rewind to early January, and this team looked like it was on the wrong side of the bubble. Losses to Villanova, Nebraska, and a blowout defeat at home to Purdue had the Badgers staring at a season slipping away.
Since then, Wisconsin has won nine of 11 games. The two losses in that stretch were a two-point home loss to USC where they coughed up a lead and a controversial one-point overtime loss at Indiana decided by late foul calls.
At 18-7 overall and 10-4 in Big Ten play, the Badgers have pulled even with Michigan State in the conference standings and own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Several Quadrant 1 opportunities remain on the schedule, starting with a trip to Ohio State on Tuesday. Every one of them is an opportunity for Wisconsin to climb even higher.
The question facing every team hoping for a favorable draw on Selection Sunday isn’t complicated. Do you want to play a team with two elite perimeter scorers, a physical big man who controls the glass, and enough three-point shooting to bury anyone on a good night?
Do you want to face a team that has overcome double-digit deficits five times this season and still found a way to win? Wisconsin doesn’t need a ranking to be dangerous. The Badgers just proved, for the third time this season, that they can beat anyone in the country.